Deporting the “la” out of LA
by Thomas Gill on July 29, 2008 in Blog
Following Hurricane Katrina, the message on Spanish radio stations throughout the southern U.S. was clear: “There is plenty of work on the Gulf Coast. Please go there and be a part of the rebuilding.” Also, on September 6, 2005, just days after the storm hit, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it was suspending certain labor regulations for a 45-day period. Employers would not be required to confirm the identity of employees. DHS then lifted wage restrictions for two months in order to allow contractors to pay lower wages to the workers that would rebuild the city. The result was an influx of Latino workers needed to help rebuild New Orleans. It is widely accepted in New Orleans today that Latinos did a substantial amount of the reconstruction that enabled later flows of people to return to the city .
As I made the 200-mile trip to Waterproof, Louisiana, where hundreds of Latinos are detained, I had those radio ads and DHS policies on my mind. How could it be that three years ago, Latinos were being asked to come here? After all, I was on my way to visit one of four Department of Homeland Security detention centers in Louisiana. At a daily cost of $95 per detainee , the state has turned detention into a business and now has thousands of undocumented immigrants in detention – many of them the very people that responded to the call to come and help rebuild.
Our team consisted of lawyers and volunteers, almost all of who speak Spanish. The person that I work most closely with in New Orleans is Fr. Tom Greene, S.J. A former assistant district attorney in New Orleans, Fr. Greene now dedicates his time raising awareness of immigration issues. He also offers legal advice to the detainees themselves. Also with the team that morning were representatives from Catholic Charities in Baton Rouge and Tulane University’s Law School.
As we made our way into the sea of Latino men dressed in orange jump suits, the looks of desperation on their faces were familiar to me. I had seen that look in the eyes of men who were considering leaving their families behind in El Salvador in the hopes of finding decently paid work in the U.S. I had seen that look on the faces of young people in Central America and Mexico, those who were convinced that their only opportunities lay north of their homelands. I had seen that look along the land route through the desert that thousands of Mexicans and Central Americans travel each day in pursuit of friends, family, and the possibility of sending remittances to loved ones left behind
I was also familiar with the emotions building up inside me as I sat with them, listening to the detainees’ stories. It was a mix of anger, sadness, helplessness, and absurdity that we feel in the face of some major policy problem too easily summed up with one question: “How can this be happening?” In this instance: How does a state that was hit so hard with a natural disaster reach out for help to a community, only to then detain and deport them?
On this particular day of my visit to the detention center, I translated for a team of lawyers that was there to provide legal advice to the detainees. We began with a general “know your rights” presentation; we then met individually with the detainees. Following the gathering of basic personal information, most of the conversations went as follows:
Q: Do you have a criminal record?
A: No.
Q: Are you married?
A: Yes.
Q: Kids?
A: Yes.
Q: Are they citizens?
A: Yes.
Q: Have you talked with them recently?
A: No. Would you call them and let them know that I am here? And that I am ok?
The lawyers described to the detainee what would happen next. Normally, they detainees had been assigned a court date. On that date, they will show up in front of a judge who will issue a deportation order. The lawyer then explained to the detainees how bonds can be paid. We promised to follow up with family members to inform them of the logistics. The lawyers did their best to estimate how much more time the detainees will be there while being sure to qualify the uncertainties involved in the immigration process. Most immigration lawyers have difficulty understanding all of the intricacies of immigration law. The detainees certainly have no idea what is going on.
For them, there is simply one overriding desire: to go home. They tell us over and over again, “I will sign anything, do anything, to get out of here.” Unfortunately, the date on which they are required to do so depends on DHS, a department so obviously overwhelmed with paperwork and people that it has become known for being a billion-dollar mass of controlled chaos behind a façade of having everything under control. As we described the next possible steps, many men cried – an act often frowned upon within Latino culture. Others voiced harsh words — one need not be fluent in Spanish to understand. Mostly though, heads dropped and the detainee began a slow walk back to the quarters.
The next day I called detainees’ families with information about their loved ones. It was the hardest part. The most common questions related to the detainee’s state of mental and physical health. I then went into the details about the next probable steps for their loved one with emphasis, again, on the uncertainties inherent to our broken system.
There are many difficult issues surrounding the immigration debate. In the wake of Katrina and Rita, New Orleans uniquely demonstrates the complexity of the issue. However, there is one reality that cannot be denied: the city, and the majority of the Gulf Coast, depended heavily on the undocumented Latino community following the storms. When the workers were needed, policies were adjusted and radio ads aimed at their recruitment were aired. Then, when it was decided that the need for these workers lessened, the detentions and deportations increased rapidly – certainly much more rapidly than the passage of comprehensive reform.
Comments
8 Responses to “Deporting the “la” out of LA”
Got something to say?
We cannot wait any longer to enforce our immigration laws. We must ensure that predatory employers have no loopholes, to attract illegal workers.
Our economy can no longer afford to support millions of illegal immigrants with free health care, education and law enforcement. Unless we achieve enforcement of THE PEOPLE’S laws we be unable to stop bogus documentation, fraudulent immigration entry.
This includes the millions of people who smuggle themselves past the undermanned border agents. Democrats have gutted the border fence funding, and now are trying to undermine the voluntary business e-verify system. The new SAVE ACT (H.R.4088) is enforcement only and would be instrumental in making the E-very process mandatory. Free faxing at NUMBERSUSA. to force this law through Congress.
There is estimated to be 7.1 MILLION MIXED STATUS families in the in the United States. So the questions becomes about CLASS/STATUS/RACE. Do some American Families have more rights under the Constitution than other families? Have we created a new “Class” of citizens? I think we have, and it is very disturbing.
Currently under US Immigration law the government not only ’screens and vets” the wives and husbands of US Citizens married to foreign spouses but also imposes draconian punishments for various civil violations of immigration codes. This government stamp of approval on US Citizen marriages only applies to Mixed Status “Class” families. So it applies only to one “CLASS” of citizens, Americans married to Foreign Nationals. Only Mixed Status “Class” families are subject to draconian punishments for Civil Violations of Immigration Code.
One of these punishments is the 3/10 year bar to re-entry as well as the LIFETIME BAR to re-entry imposed by USCIS for non-criminal immigration status violations. The question then becomes does this “CLASS DISTINCTION” tread on the US Citizen’s member of the mixed status families Constitutional “liberty” or right to family unity? Do US Citizen Children with foreign national parents have any rights at all to life, liberty or the persuit of happiness in their own country?
An additional concern is the draconian form of punishment that is meted out against this “Class” being Mixed Status Families. ” Are there other examples where a CIVIL violation of Federal Law results in physical detention, and actual temporary or permanent banishment from the Country. If so what other Civil violations of Federal law result in a family/person being forced to physically leave the country?
This Mixed Status Class of families is also subject to cruel and extremely “unusual” punishment? What about “fit the crimeThe 10 year bar when applied to a spouse of a US Citizen is not only an assault on the individual psyche far more injurious than torture, but also an attack on the institution of marriage?
This punishment distrupts, harrasses and endangers family, the cornerstone of our society. Marriage has its roots not only in common law but historically as the first and most fundamental Human institution ordained by God.
Forcing a person into detention limbo, causing economic and emotional deprivation, threatening criminal proceedings and forcing some family members t into “exile” effectively destroys that families status in organized society. Our current system violates all standards of decency when weighed in the light of the original civil offense, of being on the wrong side of the land border, and exercising that humans first right that being the right to survive.
This Border Problem is not new , for centuries other countries like Italty and Greece had this same enforcement problem. and like now rather than take action on the problem, their light hearted weak country Reps allowed the border crossing to continue until the economy went to hell due to the pressures and demans put upon them from the illegals. these where once the richest countries around in their day, now only a memory. keep the borders sealed!!
In reality, instead of like Italy, or Greece, Mexicans are of original stock from these lands with a mix of white of course (majority speaking) from mostly Spain, Portugal, French and German, and whoever else tried conquering Mexico. When Northern Mexico was conquered by the Anglos, this created a giant rift in the way of the original Mexicans, who are naturals when time comes to migrate for whatever reason connected with their survival. This is not a matter of just send the Mexicans home; Mexicans are home. Well, since the takeover, some have been mixed in with Anglo blood as well. Yet truly, most are not coming here because they want to hurt US. Some are, for sure; yet most are fun loving, caring, considerate (on most grounds,) honest, hard working people, who will get the job done for less. This is what is creating part of the stir, I believe.
When you factor in employers who need cheap labor because of high taxes, increase in wages, mandated (soon) healthcare, high rents, etc., while seeing China selling things to US for dirt cheap, you will realize this allure. Small business would be etched out, had not the illegal immigrant arrived on scene to help save the day. Our government, thanks to workers’ rights laws, has made a fortune off of small business through so many taxes and mandates at all bureaucratic levels. The main problem is the fear of a takeover, or fear of too many Mexicans, period, and the foreign language situation, even though most people along the border know both languages, partly, if not proficiently. Yet, instead of buying tried, true and safe, inexpensive products from Mexico, we turned to China, while NAFTA was in full swing. We got what we asked for, tainted products. Now China will make their products better at our expense. Meanwhile we decided to sink Mexico’s economy along with ours. Hm? How tedious, like the damming of the Colorado River. Now is time to give a little back.
Most of the present lawlessness in Mexico can be attributed to our consumption of all kinds of medicines (illegal, or not) here in America. Once again, Lou Dobbs finds one supposedly bad Jalapeno in Mexico, and almost puts everyone in anti-Mexican products mode, even singling out salsa, and Mexican tomatoes, etc. Meanwhile, Canada just recently had a tainted cheese situation, which got no coverage from the unprejudiced Dobbs. There is so much anti-Mexican-illegal immigrant rhetoric, calling people illegal aliens, as if they are from Mars, even during these politically corrected times, you’d wonder how deep hypocrisy goes in America? I mean, you can’t use the N word, but you still can call them wet backs, and illegal aliens. A lot of blacks are mad at illegal aliens, I read all the time. Why, they took their jobs, is what I’ve been reading. Ok, so now is the time to do something. Take the jobs back. Don’t be upset. A lot of Hurricane Katrina illegals were eventually deported, stiffed without pay. My grandfather was a bracero, and you know what happened there, don‘t you? Did you know that early in the twentieth century, 1.2 million legal US residents of Mexican origin, were deported to Mexico, displacing families for years, if not forever?
This country needs to grow up, and quit calling people, especially Mexicans, being partly, or fully indigenous (how many of you can claim that?), illegal aliens. Before you know, things can get better. Don’t get mad, just go with what is destined in America, which incidentally, Mexico is located in. Unlike Italy’s, or Greece’s illegal immigrant problems, the so called illegals there, are not from those lands, for had they been, there would have been a humanitarian outcry. Why, Natives of this land are still on reservations, don’t you know. Thousands of their languages being extinct by those who want an English only speaking empire, while living in California, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, or Texas (Spanish names), our most prosperous states. Hm? I wonder why?
So we want to build a wall using cheap Mexican labor. We want it to touch the sky, with satellites way up high. We want to circumvent human traffic, so as to pick, who’s in and who is not. We need them to plant our vineyards and water our trees, because we all know, we abolished slavery a long time ago, and the black man won’t go back to picking in the fields, we know. So, things have been up to the Mexican, tried and true. Soon, we will deport him/her, sending them back to where they belong, back in America’s baskets, eventually. (Deportations go both ways, as you can remember how America slackened certain labor laws after Katrina, to lure in the Mexicans, then stiffed a lot of them, under FEMA’s command, through contractors, then eventually had them deported. Now with this present series of disasters, let’s see what happens? Either Mexicans are going to help small contractors with rebuilding, or our government is going to end up subsidizing everything, which would be their dream. You’ll all end up working for Uncle Sam. Who thought it could have happened, coming home to roost in his loving arms. How un-American.
I’ll write more on this later. Happy Labor Day to all people, family and friends! God Bless America!
By the way, our economic problems are our very own. We like good inexpensive stuff and services. How many of you are willing to pay extra for everything, especially in this economic mess? Send in the Mexicans. How many of you bosses are willing to pay more for employees? Send in the Mexican. Why? Because Mexicans factor in well, creating by far more than they use. With a lot of the attitude against Mexicans, why did our government slack up on labor laws for Katrina? Because our government knows something a lot of Americans don’t, which is, we need a better economic model system, because the one we are using now is defunct. Globalization has always existed, yet now we are at a turning point using old economic standards. Economic reform could mean an upward moving majority of Americans by becoming more American, while still doing business abroad. Mexico I don’t consider to be abroad, so we must cooperate more, otherwise, move to where ever we are sending the jobs. Mexicans are still willing. Will we be willing to let go of our prejudices, while becoming more productive, and less dependant on government and big business? Don’t forget, we came from humble means; a little egg and sperm in the nonforeign land of a womb, crossing the border of a vagina, out into a world of strife, love and passion. When we tell people in a freedom of speech land not to speak their own language, we are essentially telling, they don’t have the right to speak, but in English, which our constitution does not say; therefore, you would be the one foreign, and non American. What we need is a good old American to invent a universal translator, if we are that afraid. In the meantime, let’s all get along. Amen.
Maybe contracts for any needed extra workers from outside of US will help solve this dilemna, instead of the old Uncle Sam blind eye, which has been already used on a number of occasions. Very naughty human rights’ violations, because people without contracts were allowed to come in and help, via slackened laws, just in order to get trapped a day before their bi-monthly pay check was issued. FEMA and FEMA approved contractors. Perhaps, if the Mexican government is willing, they can help with the flow, mandating work contracts (permits) for citizens of Mexico who are willing to come and work. Some can choose to become citizens based on whatever contract is signed by the individual worker, or according to job experience, etc. Taxes are already taken from their paychecks, so they have already contributed to our country.
Enough of the blind eye until they are done with the job, then, “What are you doing in America illegally?!” “Get out!” “Paycheck, what paycheck? We’ll just deport you, and then you’ll never come back here again. I don’t care, if you have kids here! I’ll just change the laws, so that you all can’t continue your free ride. I’ll require, your children not to be deemed as citizens by changing our laws (again and again) until I stop this illegal flow of illegal aliens!
It is time for a ‘real’ comprehensive reform, as in contracts. What is written on paper may not be enforced, as is the case of the poor immigrants who are dying of heat exhaustion with no basic rights (UFW website) in California; yet, contracts exist on every thing, and should be written; so as to even up the score on both sides. Right now farmers are turning a blind eye to speed up production, threatening workers, using ruthless government laws for their purpose, as raids continue in other parts of this country. If the contract the farmers have with the state labor laws were enforced, then little 14 year old Maria Pena would still be alive today. All she needed was some shade and water. All she got was a ruthless farmer who wouldn’t let her rest and have water, so she died.
Illegal immigrants will always come here, refugee or not, because they are all (well at least, mostly) seeking refuge from one thing or other, plus mixed in with the American Dream, they will come because we are a democracy who will let them. They seek refuge, because they don’t have enough for common survival. This will make anyone migrate, as some have because of the hurricanes, here in this country, moving to other places, causing discomfort for citizens of those refugee cities. We are bigger than western Europe with far less people. Sometimes I wonder, how many illegals from Briton must have come here crossing the Mexican border when saying “American” was the only requirement? Being blond haired and blue eyed, accepted without prejudice, as even the media at one time, only showed whites in positive role models (mostly).
Oh well, tally ho, off to britain, I may go!
My boy friend did work that no american would do. He has no family in mexico. He is deportation now for helping sumone get 2 the hosp. Our country is not the land of the free. Plz help me.